Football | Football player Luis Diaz's father was kidnapped – the family friend's cruel trick was revealed in the background

English The Premier League season is still under way, but one of the most emotional photos of the season has probably already been taken. Liverpool striker Luis Diaz celebrated his goal against Luton on November 5 by lifting the hem of his shirt. The white undershirt revealed underneath read “freedom for dad”.

There was a message in the words and the player's expression that left nothing unclear. A goal there, another here, they always come. But there is only one father – and even at the moment of the joy of the goal, which brought the emotions to the surface, Luis Diaz was filled with great concern for the fate of his loved one.

The player's father Luis Manuel Diaz was kidnapped in Colombia on October 28 together with his wife Cilenis Marulanda with. The National Liberation Army ELN, which is Colombia's second largest guerilla organization, was behind the hijacking.

Liverpool's Diaz also appealed to the hijackers on social media right after the Luton match.

“This is not the player Luis Diaz talking. Today I am the son of Luis Manuel Diaz. My father is a hard-working family man. I am asking the ELN to release my father and I am asking international organizations to work together to release him,” Luis Diaz said.

The wife, the player's mother, was released only a few hours after the kidnapping, but for father Diaz, freedom came on November 9, i.e. 12 days later, at the end of a complicated tangle.

Such kidnappings are not uncommon in Colombia, but this case gained worldwide attention because Luis “Lucho” Diaz represents Liverpool, one of the most famous clubs in the world.

Barrancas, October 28, 2023. It was supposed to be a routine visit to a local gas station in a town of about 40,000 people on the Colombian-Venezuelan border. That was the beginning of an almost two-week nightmare for the Diaz family.

The hijacking sparked opposition in soccer-mad Colombia, as Colombia's national team player Luis Diaz is very popular in his native country.

Father Luis Manuel “Mane” Diaz also enjoys respect in his home region. He has been described as a very well-liked person in the local community.

The father ran a soccer school in Barrancas long before his son became a bright star player.

“Mane has been extremely important in developing football in La Guajira – especially for the youth and the wayuu (indigenous people),” local football fan Alberto Acosta told Aftonbladet, who visited Barrancas.

The increased local popularity of the Diaz family is based on the fact that Luis Diaz is the first Wayuu player to have reached the Colombian national team.

Why and how was Luis Manuel Diaz captured?

In his football school, a person who the local media uses the name Arenca also worked as a teacher.

Arenca is said to have been a good family acquaintance of Diazie's, but since then disgusting features have been revealed.

Arenca was allegedly in contact with the left-wing ELN, which was behind the hijacking, already last summer.

The RCN magazine has shown a video that hints at Arenca's part in the construction of the kidnapping of father Diaz.

Last October, Arenca boarded Diazie and explained the destination was a “political meeting.” They were soon followed by two black-clad motorcyclists to the gas station where the nightmare began.

Luis Manuel Diaz and Cilenis Marulanda ended up in the hands of the hijackers.

So what made Arenca betray Diaz's cherished family?

“Not everyone is happy with them. Jealousy can be very dangerous,” Alberto Acosta said.

The lust for money was apparently also burning in the background. According to media reports, the rebels pay 300,000 to 1,000,000 Colombian pesos to the helpers involved in the hijacking.

This means approximately 70–235 euros. That can be a lot of money for some. The department of La Guajira, where Barrancas is located, is one of the poorest in Colombia.

By Christmas, the police had arrested four people for the hijacking, of which Arenca is one. Metaphorically, the following fact can also fit Arenca's part: the world's largest snake fossil was once found in the La Guajira area: 13 meters long and weighing more than 1,100 kilograms.

Guerrilla organization The leader of the ELN later explained that the kidnapping of “Mane” Diaz was a mistake. Perhaps the judgmental atmosphere surprised me. Diaz was reportedly never ransomed, but the terms of his release are still unclear. The background and solutions to hijackings in Colombia may also often involve political twists.

Attempts have been made to organize peace in the country. Diaz's kidnapping, which received a lot of publicity, erased the idea of ​​a reconciliation between the rebels and the government deep into the quagmire.

A monetary motive in the case cannot be ruled out in the investigations, which are still ongoing. Investigations into the abduction have hinted that Diaz's abduction was not only behind a guerrilla organization, but a few individuals who dreamed of large sums of money.

In the summer of 2019, soccer player Luis Diaz moved from Colombian Junior FC to Portuguese Porto for seven million euros.

The jackpot hit in January 2022, when Liverpool paid Porto 47 million euros for the player. According to media reports, Diaz enjoys an annual salary equivalent to 3.5 million euros in Liverpool.

Father-DiaZIN, 58, the release after long negotiations was also exploited with enormous publicity. For example, humanitarian organizations, the UN and the local Catholic Church participated in the liberation operation, and Mane Diaz was finally freed by a helicopter organized by them.

Relieved but visibly tired, Diaz posed in some pictures with, for example, people from the church.

After his release, Diaz said that the captors treated him quite well, but the almost two-week-old wasn't very well, of course.

“A lot of riding, a lot of mountains, a lot of rain and too many insects. I couldn't sleep properly, it was difficult to have 12 days of sleep,” Diaz said of his experiences after his release.

The reunion with the family offered touching moments. Tears of relief and happiness also twinkled in the published photos of the encounters.

More emotion surfaced on November 16 during the World Cup qualifying match between Colombia and Brazil in Barranquilla, Colombia.

The father was the guest of honor in the stands, from where he saw how son Luis led Colombia to a 2–1 victory with his two goals. The father cried from happiness, and the son's goal celebration also exuded extraordinary strength.

We wanted group photos with Luis Manuel Diaz (above) in connection with the match between Colombia and Brazil on November 16. Picture: REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez

He played as Brazil's goalkeeper in the match Alisson BeckerDiaz's teammate from Liverpool.

“He (Diaz) is a friend and he has suffered a lot in the last few days. It goes above football. He deserves this (success in the match),” Alisson said.

The Diaz family later got to spend Christmas in Liverpool, invited by the club.

Diaz's the father said that the hijacking has not scared him into moving from Barrancas.

“My intention is to continue living in my city because almost all my family is there. The (Colombian) government has supported me very strongly. I have faith and confidence that it will develop security in Barrancas.”

The family lives in Barrancas in a very nice house with a yard surrounded by high walls. Security has also been improved with an electric fence and barbed wire.

Danger lurks outside the home, as the family's harsh experience proves.

Now the horror is over and the joy of life seems to have won, which a happy Luis Manuel Diaz has also declared.

“I want to thank God for this second chance.”

Sources: Aftonbladet, Guardian, Daily Mail, CBS, Irish Independent.